Free Getting by (A Knight's Tale) by Claudia Y. Burgoa Page A

groomsmen or anyone. Capisce?” Wise last words. I convoked to a standing ovation, but nobody joined me.
    “Loosen up, you need to get laid.”
    I’ll help, I wanted to say, but kept my mouth shut. Emma was about to claw someone and I didn’t want to volunteer for the position. Yet, I also noticed the shift in her body, it slumped even more, her eyes turned greener and her gaze lower.
    Do you miss me, baby? I doubt it; you’re the one who called it off. She had no right to be sad, I wanted to tell her. She looked beautiful; though, I didn’t care much for her flat hair. I liked it when she wore it wavy and wild and showing her reddish streaks.
    “I got laid,” Emma defended herself from Gaby. “Last time was about three months ago.” The period she mentioned gave me some macho-power-trip that made me want to bump my chest with my fists, because she was mine. “I’m not lying.”
    I can testify. Stopping my stalkerish ways, I noticed that Cade watched the exchange between the friends, while Liam and Mitch observed me. Was my face showing the multiple emotions I felt on the inside? Pain, anger, lust, but the most was the need to stop Gaby’s torture. Under that armor, Emma was fragile.
    “Yeah, your imaginary friend, silly me. How can I forget? Emma, you need someone real.” My pretty girl frowned at her, because of course I was real, and every time we were together it was an earth-shattering experience. Though the only person who knew we had a thing was Liam, and Emma was happy to leave it that way. Light and uncomplicated.
    “Imaginary boy appeared when I needed him, and guess what Gabs, he didn’t hurt me. No complications, just clean and neat.” I heard Mitch snorting, and Liam shook his head. “Just like everything in my life. Dad’s motto of self-reliance. If I was real to him, he wouldn’t give a shit about someone like me.”
    I didn’t care for those words. Emma was real. Explosive, witty, loyal, reliable to a fault, lovely, tender, and I gave more than a shit. Where did that come from? My wide eyes matched Mitch’s, and I chose to stop doing a play by play on her conversation, trying to fit myself into it and mostly overthinking.
    “The only real person allowed in my world is you, though you’re on probation for trying to pimp me—again. You might get your visa revoked.”
    Gaby puffed with resignation at the tough crazy cookie she dealt with. Tell me about it. Cade and Gavin gave us the heads up; we didn’t want to deal with psycho. They insisted we take her off the menu. Gavin said three scary words, Chloe’s little sister, which gave us a huge rash. Gavin’s psycho-ex made his life hell. My brothers and I had a front row seat, and we had lived the ordeal on a daily basis. Mitch, Liam and I didn’t argue with their logic.
    I heard the story of the last guy Gaby tried to hook her up with—it ended with an icepack on his crotch. Cade’s friend swore she had a loose screw, because the only thing he had said was ‘yumm, I could eat you’. The tacky line had a ring to it when you’re seventeen and not in control of your mouth, or hormones. But past your twentieth birthday, it’s unacceptable. He’s lucky, if I had heard him say the line to her, he’d need a dick transplant.
    “Emma, meet Mitch, Jake and Liam. They’re Cade’s cousins, more like brothers.” Gaby pointed at each of us. Emma had magical eyes; they changed color with her mood, and when she realized I was in front of her, they changed from brownish to green—pain, anger? She closed them to gather her wits back and showed us a light brown color again. Though, I detected the green wanted to overpower it. “Guys, this is the famous Emma Anderson, the maid of honor.” What happened to friend or best friend? I wanted to ask, but let it go.
    “Pleasure to finally meet you,” Mitch said, looking from Emma to me and shaking her hand. “I feel like we know each other pretty well.” She reclaimed her hand and put both of